Matt Moscona: 2025 is LSU’s year to go big

To steal a poker analogy, LSU has pushed all its chips to the middle of the table for the 2025 season. The Tigers paid a small fortune to add 18 transfers—the No. 1 portal class in the country—to an already stacked roster.

Garrett Nussmeier is the leading returning passer in college football. Whit Weeks returns after having more tackles than Devin White in his Butkus Award-winning season, and Harold Perkins Jr. is back from injury.

The schedule shapes up nicely for a College Football Playoff run as the Tigers avoid back-to-back SEC road games and have relative layups before their toughest games.

If the Tigers bust with this hand, a championship is not likely in the cards for the Brian Kelly era.

Aug. 30 at Clemson

LSU hasn’t won a season opener since Joe Burrow dismantled Georgia Southern, 55-3. A true road game against a Playoff team is a tough ask to break the streak.

Sept. 6 vs. Louisiana Tech

Tech has beaten LSU once—in 1904, 33 years before Billy Cannon was born. This is nothing more than a tune-up for …

Sept. 13 vs. Florida

The Tigers and Gators have met 71 times, but only twice before in September. LSU will retire Charles Alexander’s No. 4 as they hope to exact revenge after the Gators nipped the Tigers in Gainesville a season ago.

Sept. 20 vs. Southeastern Louisiana

An FCS breather before …

Sept. 27  at Ole Miss

The Rebels were the “all-in” team a season ago and choked away a Playoff berth with three inexplicable losses. With eight draft picks gone, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, expect a series step back for the runts, err, Rebs.

Oct. 11 vs. South Carolina

So much hype for LaNorris Sellers. So little passing ability. Expect the Tigers to roll coming off their first open date.

Oct. 18 at Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia is back. It didn’t matter when LSU romped Vandy last year. It won’t matter this season, either. But, hey—Nashville is a cool road trip.

Oct. 25 vs. Texas A&M

Nussmeier might just be locked in for this one after his three second-half interceptions in College Station last year. Tiger Stadium will be electric.

Nov. 8 at Alabama

Jalen Milroe can’t run all over the LSU defense anymore. This will be the true measuring stick for Blake Baker’s defense, and if Kalen DeBoer can actually win big
at Bama.

Nov. 15 vs. Arkansas

The biggest question here is if Sam Pittman is still the Arkansas coach come kickoff.

Nov. 22 vs. Western Kentucky

The best part about CFP expansion and a new SEC schedule format is fewer garbage games like this in November—or ever.

Nov. 29 at Oklahoma

The Sooners brought Washington State’s quarterback and offensive coordinator to Norman to fix that side of the ball. If they can’t, this could be the last game of the Brent Venables era.

This article was originally published in 225 Magazine’s 2025 Tiger Pride edition.